Sunday, February 5, 2017

Tribute to a fallen queen

Glitterbomb: It's Called Pride Motherfuckers
Photo by Maddy Waltz

We only got to share the stage once. Tragedy brought us together. The show was Glitterbomb's response to the Pulse shooting. She was assisting one of her drag sisters, Christina DeLeon, in a touching tribute to the victims. The circumstances surrounding that night led to more performers than usual backstage and a greater storm of emotions than usual nerves and frantic excitement. As a result, I never got to talk to her.

However, I noticed her prominence in the Denton drag and burlesque scenes. It made me think about reaching out to see if she wanted to come over to Dallas for a performance. I was still planning to ask about her when the Tuesday Tease Team got the news. Because I didn't know her, I wasn't as hard hit. Nevertheless I felt great sadness because it hurts to see one's friends in so much pain. Pulse brought all of us in the LGBTQIAP community together such that a loss in one community is a loss for all of us.

I've been thinking about the missed opportunity, the subsequent what-ifs, and fears of what-next? I'm still reeling from past tragedies, yet death stops for no one. Let this be a lesson to always embrace your castmates, to get to know performers beyond the stage, and to take a chance on that newbie. Life is too short for anything else.

Ivory Dior, know that you are greatly missed and that your memory will be with us always.